Performing cutaneous biopsies is a routine practice in dermatology and other specialities. A cutaneous biopsy mainly consists in the cutting and extraction of a small portion of cutaneous tissue from a patient.
Currently, the device used for performing a cutaneous biopsy mainly consists of a long cylinder that has a proximal end furnished with a handle and a distal end furnished with a cylindrical blade. To use it, the cylindrical blade of the device is pressed against the patient's skin and a circular movement is performed. This causes the cylindrical blade to pierce the patient's skin and penetrate it a certain distance. Then it is necessary to withdraw the device, cut the base of the portion of skin using a scalpel, and withdraw the sample with the help of tweezers. Finally, one or two stitches are applied to the cutaneous wound made.
This known device has numerous drawbacks. To perform a biopsy with this device, it is necessary to apply local anaesthesia and use surgical material to cut the cutaneous sample and to suture the wound, as well as a trolley bed and a side table on which to place this surgical material. Thus, with the devices of the state of the art, it is necessary to: know the prior history of anaesthesia of the patient, have a restricted sterile field, perform disinfection, inject the anaesthetic, perform another disinfection, have the instrument available to be used for the biopsy, have a scalpel for cutting the fragment of base skin and some tweezers to hold it to enable the cutting, have a gauze to dry the area and have the necessary items for suturing and dressing the wound. Also required are a trolley table and a side table on which to place the auxiliary materials.
Another drawback related to the use of this type of device is that the proper execution of the technique is very dependent on the skill of the surgeon. In fact, depending on the force applied, the speed of rotation and the type of tissue that is being pierced, the distance of penetration can vary and can even injure the patient.
Ultimately, performing cutaneous biopsies is one of the main reasons for delays in dermatology consultations. The time to perform a cutaneous biopsy is around 20 to 30 minutes during which all the necessary materials must be prepared and the test performed. Often, the option of performing this valuable diagnostic and sometimes therapeutic test is discarded due to lack of time, especially in the outpatient department. By way of example, it can be claimed that one of the most frequent causes of claims in countries such as the United States is not performing biopsies in pathologies when diagnosis is uncertain.
In fact, for reasons of time, limited space, financial cost and patient comfort, it is essential to create a device for performing this diagnostic test that is rapid, simple, safe and cheap.